I'm not gay, I- [It's possible that his face has never been more flushed. Restless and fraught, he wrings his fingers until the knuckles go white, eyes still cast resolutely away from his sister.] I still- I mean, I like girls too, I think, but-
[He's floundering, losing grip of the plot with each sputtered word. Part of him wants to refute Nancy, to rail back against their parents and heap proof on her that they don't care, that they haven't cared in ages. But instead, he finds himself hanging onto her words, starting to imagine them. What if? What if she's right, and there's actually a future like that? His parents' love and this incredible, terrifying thing that he's discovered here?
Mike sniffs, and his nose aches. He hadn't realized his eyes were damp.]
No one back home's gonna know the difference. You know what it's like.
[And Nancy listens, without judgment or disgust. Without intervening with questions or opinions of her own. Sometimes she's terrible at listening to others, and she knows it. There are times where she easily drowns out everyone else's voices and feelings because she's so focused on getting her own opinions and thoughts out there into the world. This isn't that time. Silently, she reaches for a tissue and wipes at a drop of blood coming from his nose.
I like girls too, he says, and she nods. The confusion on her face is fleeting, quickly replaced by an expression of understanding. She takes that little fragment of information and tucks it away somewhere safe, with everything else she's found out over the past couple of days. Everything he tells her is safe. Protected. She won't tell a soul, but she will surely defend him against anyone who finds out and reacts adversely. Next to Mike, with his flushed face and his floundering, Nancy is a calming presence.]
Yeah. I do. There are a lot of assholes back home, and they won't even try to understand. Thankfully some of us grow up, and we realize that people are all different. We're... diverse. The assholes who don't grow up, who hold on to these... narrow viewpoints? They aren't even worth knowing.
[She reaches out to place her hand on top of his in the hopes that it might help. She sees him wringing his fingers, sees his discomfort and restlessness, and she wants to help ease his mind. She knows she can't take all of his anxieties away, but she hopes she can help at least.]
You have my support. And you'll have mom and dad's support too. And if anyone gives you any shit, they'll have me to deal with.
[And she means that with all her heart. Nancy's wrath is not something the narrow-minded people of Hawkins want to face.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-06-22 04:35 am (UTC)[He's floundering, losing grip of the plot with each sputtered word. Part of him wants to refute Nancy, to rail back against their parents and heap proof on her that they don't care, that they haven't cared in ages. But instead, he finds himself hanging onto her words, starting to imagine them. What if? What if she's right, and there's actually a future like that? His parents' love and this incredible, terrifying thing that he's discovered here?
Mike sniffs, and his nose aches. He hadn't realized his eyes were damp.]
No one back home's gonna know the difference. You know what it's like.
no subject
Date: 2021-06-30 01:09 am (UTC)I like girls too, he says, and she nods. The confusion on her face is fleeting, quickly replaced by an expression of understanding. She takes that little fragment of information and tucks it away somewhere safe, with everything else she's found out over the past couple of days. Everything he tells her is safe. Protected. She won't tell a soul, but she will surely defend him against anyone who finds out and reacts adversely. Next to Mike, with his flushed face and his floundering, Nancy is a calming presence.]
Yeah. I do. There are a lot of assholes back home, and they won't even try to understand. Thankfully some of us grow up, and we realize that people are all different. We're... diverse. The assholes who don't grow up, who hold on to these... narrow viewpoints? They aren't even worth knowing.
[She reaches out to place her hand on top of his in the hopes that it might help. She sees him wringing his fingers, sees his discomfort and restlessness, and she wants to help ease his mind. She knows she can't take all of his anxieties away, but she hopes she can help at least.]
You have my support. And you'll have mom and dad's support too. And if anyone gives you any shit, they'll have me to deal with.
[And she means that with all her heart. Nancy's wrath is not something the narrow-minded people of Hawkins want to face.]